Breaking

11:07 am

Sat October 27, 2012

Hurricane Sandy: What can you expect?

Should Sandy's effects start to impact the Cape Fear region significantly, the WHQR news team will be on the air, working with the meteorologists at WWAY TV3, to bring you continuous coverage until the storm has passed.

From WWAY Storm Track 3 Meteorologist Tim Buckley:

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) -- A Tropical Storm Warning is now in effect. The center of Sandy will pass far to our east this weekend, but the storm is quite large. As a result, we expect some of the outer rain/wind bands to push onshore. Here is a detailed forecast for the next 36 hours. Keep in mind that higher wind/rain estimates are for coastal counties. Lower wind/rain estimates for inland counties.

Saturday AM- Cloudy with intermittent showers. Rain will be heavy at times. Winds will be 15-25 mph out of the northeast, with a few higher gusts over 35 mph.

Saturday Afternoon- Cloudy with heavy showers intensifying. Winds will be 25-35 mph out of the northeast, with a few gusts over 40 mph; especially along the coast.

Saturday Night- Cloudy with heavy rain. Winds will be 25-40 mph out of the north, with a few gusts over 50 mph; especially along the coast

Sunday AM- Cloudy with heavy rain. Winds will be 25-40 mph out of the north, with a few gusts over 50 mph.

Sunday afternoon- Showers gradually ending. Winds will slowly decrease to between 20-30 mph, still gusting to 40 mph at times.

MARINE EFFECTS: Offshore, seas will approach 15-17 feet by late Saturday. Winds will range from 35 to 45 kts, with a few gusts over 50 kts.

BEACH EFFECTS: Pounding surf will cause some erosion to east facing beaches. High tides, already exaggerated by the full moon will create coastal flooding concerns. High tide Saturday at 6:43am and 7:00pm; Sunday at 7:23 am and 7:40 pm.

Should Sandy's effects start to impact the Cape Fear region significantly, the WHQR news team will be on the air --- working with the meteorologists at WWAY -- to bring you continuous coverage until the storm has passed.